Findings of inaugural report to be discussed at industry summit on Nov 15.

BAFTA has today released a report outlining that young people are needlessly being discouraged from pursuing a career in film, television or games.

The inaugural BAFTA Career Pathways Survey, which surveyed 2,077 young people aged 16-24 and almost 200 BAFTA members, found that over half (57%) of those surveyed have at least considered a career in the industry, but that one in five found accessing careers advice difficult or impossible. In addition, of those who had received advice, 64% felt the advice was too general and 49% felt the advisor did not know enough about the industry in question.

One in six were also actively discouraged from pursuing a career in film, television or games, with 47% of these told that achieving their desired job would be down to “who you know” in the industry and weren’t necessarily told how to meet people in the industry to change this.

Anne Morrison [pictured], chair of BAFTA’s Learning and Events committee, commented: “With increasing pressures on young people making career choices, it is worrying to see that potentially talented future members of our industries are unable to find the right advice to steer them onto this path.

“We call on our industries, teachers and careers advisors to equip themselves with the right information about the enormous range of fulfilling careers available – from set design to game design, to visual effects or producing - in order to give the best advice possible to the next generation of talent.”

The findings of the report - which can be viewed here - will be discussed at a summit hosted by BAFTA on Nov 15.

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